Day After Raids, ED to Quiz Chanda Kochhar in ICICI-Videocon Loan Case

New Delhi: Former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar and Deepak Kocchar arrived at the Enforcement Directorate’s office, Mumbai for questioning in ICICI Bank-Videocon loan case, news agency ANI reported on Saturday. The Managing Director of Videocon Group Venugopal Dhoot has also been summoned by the ED today.

On Friday, ED had conducted searches at premises of Chanda Kochhar and Venugopal Dhoot.

According to the FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Chanda Kochhar is named as an accused in the ICICI Bank-Videocon loan case. The ongoing probe launched by ED in February is regarding the case of alleged irregularities and corrupt practices in sanctioning Rs 1,875 crore loan by the bank to the corporate group.

Earlier the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had searched Nupower Renewables and Dhoot’s office in Mumbai and Aurangabad. This is the first instance of an ED raid at the Kochhar residence. Kochhar is accused of “sanctioning loans to private companies in a criminal conspiracy with other accused to cheat the ICICI Bank”.

The FIR followed a preliminary enquiry (PE) instituted on March 31, 2018, against Chanda Kochhar’s husband Deepak Kochhar, Videocon Group officials and others to determine whether any wrongdoing was involved in the sanctioning of the loan by the ICICI Bank as part of a consortium.

Last month, when the CBI had raided four locations in Mumbai and seized several documents. Justice BN Srikrishna Committee that probed the allegations against Kochhar found that she violated the bank’s code of conduct in dealing with conflict of interest and fiduciary duties in the case of loans to Videocon that had routed a part of the money to a company owned by her husband Deepak.